Chapter 42

On the rooftop of a residential building not far from the warehouse, Hawkeye drew his bow, took aim, and released the arrow with a sharp whoosh.

The arrow hit the ceiling of the warehouse with precision, and the arrowhead immediately unfolded, flashing a green indicator light—it was a bug.

Hawkeye listened through his earpiece for a long time, but the warehouse remained silent. He decided to make a tentative move tonight; the target would be too obvious during the day.

Little did he know, his actions were already under surveillance. Luke, already airborne in his mech, watched from above.

"Hawkeye, planning to come back at night? Afraid of being spotted during the day?" Luke mused, lowering his mech's altitude. He didn't have time to play cat and mouse with Hawkeye tonight. He had to go home and be a good boy.

Hawkeye, adjusting his gear, suddenly sensed something. Then, from behind him, he heard a voice:

"Hey, looking for me?"

Startled, Hawkeye spun around and fired an arrow instinctively.

A brilliant orange energy shield flickered around the white mech. The arrow struck the shield directly and bounced off harmlessly.

Without hesitation, Hawkeye leaped back, nimbly creating distance between himself and the mech.

He drew his compound bow and fired a rapid series of arrows towards the mech.

Only those who had faced it firsthand could understand how absurdly overpowered this mech was.

The energy shield, reinforced once, could withstand a missile from a French fighter jet—let alone a few arrows.

Ding! Ding! Dong!

The arrows clattered against the shield like pebbles against steel. These specialized arrows, capable of piercing through walls, had zero effect.

Hawkeye's eyes widened in shock. He quickly realized he had severely underestimated his opponent.

He had thought Iron Man was holding back during their last encounter, but now it was clear—this white mech was on the same level as Stark's suit.

And an opponent of this caliber wasn't someone he could handle alone.

Hawkeye made the quick decision to retreat.

"It's my turn," Luke said calmly.

A long staff materialized in the mech's hand.

In an instant, the mech surged forward. Hawkeye's pupils contracted in alarm. Before he could react, Luke jabbed the staff into his armpit. Hawkeye's bow-hand went numb, frozen in place.

Battle Mage Skill: Dragon Fang.

Pressing an opponent's pressure points to immobilize them.

While Kevlar fiber might be bulletproof, it certainly wasn't acupuncture-proof.

Hawkeye's mind raced. He quickly switched hands, grabbing his bow with his other hand and trying to retreat further.

But Luke controlled the mech effortlessly, closing in step by step. He swung his staff again, striking Hawkeye's thighs in quick succession. Hawkeye's legs buckled, and he collapsed to his knees.

Without missing a beat, Luke grabbed the incapacitated Hawkeye by the collar and lifted off towards the warehouse.

The entire process took just 15 seconds.

Inside the warehouse, Black Widow's heart clenched when she saw Hawkeye being dragged in.

But when she noticed Hawkeye's eyes wide open, though his body was paralyzed, she felt a slight sense of relief.

Hawkeye immediately spotted Black Widow trapped inside a glass cell.

His eyes flared with anger. "Apostle! Let her go! Come at me if you've got a problem!"

Luke's disdainful voice echoed from the mech's speakers. "You've already lost."

He casually tossed Hawkeye to the ground.

Though Hawkeye's limbs were frozen, his mouth still worked just fine.

"What the hell is your purpose?" His hawk-like eyes locked onto the mech. "We're agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. You have no idea what kind of organization you're messing with! I swear, once I get out of this, I'm going to—"

Black Widow sighed, cutting him off. "Clint, calm down. He's just a kid."

"A kid? What kid?" Hawkeye froze mid-sentence.

The mech's hatch hissed open, and Luke's small figure emerged from within.

Hawkeye was speechless.

He stared at Luke, struggling to process what he was seeing.

The Apostle causing all this chaos… was a child?

Luke approached under Hawkeye's stunned gaze, grabbed his leg, and dragged him over to the glass cell. He opened the door and shoved Hawkeye inside with Black Widow before locking it again.

Hawkeye regained some movement. With Black Widow's help, he stood up. The two exchanged glances.

"Clint."

"Natasha."

They stared at each other for a moment before sharing a bitter smile.

Two of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s top field agents, captured by a kid.

Embarrassing? Maybe. But more than anything… it was just bizarre.

"Is this some kind of joke?" Hawkeye muttered, still trying to wrap his head around it.

"Nope."

"He's really the Apostle? A kid? How old is he?"

"Seven."

"…You've got to be kidding me."

Hawkeye now fully understood how Black Widow must've felt when she first realized the Apostle was just a child.

As the two agents sat in stunned silence, Luke glanced over, clearly unimpressed with their reactions.

One down, one more to go.

If Hawkeye didn't report back, S.H.I.E.L.D. would surely send more agents.

At this rate, Luke thought dryly, his warehouse might as well become a S.H.I.E.L.D. dormitory.

---

From that day forward, Luke started preparing an extra portion of food at every meal.

Black Widow and Hawkeye were treated to a feast of rich, hearty meals. Aside from being restricted to the glass cell, they were like two tenants—free to move around within their transparent prison.

When they had nothing better to do, the three would even chat.

One day, Hawkeye noticed a stainless steel basin on the ground. He squinted at it and asked, "What's this for?"

Black Widow turned her head, pretending she didn't hear him.

Recently, with some generous financial support from a certain wealthy backer, Luke had been indulging in extra meals. He was growing fast, and every morning he woke up ravenous enough to eat a whole elephant.

In addition to devouring beef at every meal, Luke was constantly snacking. The more skills he mastered, the more calories he burned—especially when using his brain.

At the moment, Luke had a milk carton in his mouth, both hands flying as he assembled countless mechanical parts into intricate mech components.

He continued building the G-0 War Lord right in front of Hawkeye and Black Widow, without the slightest attempt to hide it.

The two agents whispered to each other.

"Do you know what he's building?" Hawkeye asked.

"No clue…" Black Widow shook her head.

"Did he build all this himself?" Hawkeye's surprise mirrored Black Widow's.

This wasn't something a seven-year-old should be able to do.

"I saw it with my own eyes," Black Widow confirmed.

Neither of them were experts in this field. Hawkeye had some technical knowledge, having crafted many of his special arrows, but this level of engineering was far beyond his expertise. Black Widow was adept at using high-tech gadgets, but creating them? That was another story.

Still, it was obvious that Luke was constructing something massive. Judging by the sheer amount of materials he burned through daily, it was far from ordinary.

---

Meanwhile, at S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters…

Upon receiving the latest report from his agents, Director Fury's expression darkened.

"What did you say?" His voice was low, dangerous. "Hawkeye's gone dark too?"

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